Report: Ann Arbor's recording studio scene small but thriving

Sound studios in Nashville and Los Angeles were hit hard by the nationwide recession, but Ann Arbor’s recording experts say their business remained strong.

Studios in Ann Arbor are focusing on specific genres and segmented recording to keep business rolling.MLive File Photo

Ann Arbor’s studios tend to focus on specific types of music or musicians, according to a report in Concentrate Media. Solid Sound, one of the area’s largest studios, attracts fewer indie and rock musicians due to its higher price point and instead records more jazz and classical musicians.

Backseat Productions owner Jim Roll told Concentrate that he tends to work with folk acts, in large part because of his personal preference for the genre. Another studio, the Ann Arbor Recording Company is outfitted as an analogue studio with equipment that could have been used in the 1960s.

The owners of local studios are in friendly competition, according to the report; on occasion they get together for breakfast or borrow gear from each other.

The business is becoming increasingly segmented as artists record from a number of locations and even in their own homes. Studio owners said that they don’t expect huge financial returns, but they love making music and want to continue for as long as the business is viable.

Ben Freed is a business and general assignments reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Email him at benfreed@mlive.com and follow him on twitter at @BFreedinA2